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Golden Bagel Award

29.12.2006 | Tennis

Roger has again snagged the Golden Bagel Award, an achievement honouring the professional tennis player who has handed out more "bagels" (sets won 6-0), than any other player on the circuit. Roger has won the award two out of the last three years.

This light-hearted award helps underscore just how dominant the World No. 1 player was in 2006. Along with three Grand Slam titles, Roger dished out 18 bagels - up from the 11 he served up in 2004 when he won this award for the first time. By contrast, World No. 2 and 2005 Golden Bagel Award winner, Rafael Nadal only delivered 2 bagels in 2006 down from his 12 bagels the previous year.

Bagel co-creator Tom Suhler says, "The award is just for fun but it is an interesting statistic. As hard as it is to win a single set 6-0 against world-class players, it is unbelievable to do it 18 times and four of those were against Top 10 players. Federer handed out 10 bagels this year in Grand Slam events alone; three at the U.S. Open, three at Wimbledon, and four at the Australian.

The idea for the award came up one day in 2004 when Niclas Kroon and I were talking about how dominant Federer had been that year," continued Suhler. "We were discussing the two bagels Roger delivered during the finals of the US Open. Then the bright idea light bulb started to dimly glow in our heads and the Golden Bagel Award was born."

To qualify for the Golden Bagel Award, a player must either be ranked in the Top 8 of ATP singles players or participate in the year-end Tennis Masters Cup. The winner is the pro who captures the most 6-0 sets between January 1 and the start of the Masters. Davis Cup matches and incomplete sets are not counted. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) website is used as the definitive data source. In the event of a tie, the number of "fries" (6-1 sets) will determine the winner.

Dear Roger,
The first bagel I tasted with the help of your fans at rf.com was the best ever!!! I enjoyed the breadsticks, too.
Congratulations on your exemplary season, which the bakery products symbolize in a fun way.
Peace,
Lilyflower
(eight smile